INTERFACES AND THIN-FILMS AS SEEN BY BOUND ELECTROMAGNETIC-WAVES

This contribution summarizes the use of plasmon surface polaritons and guided optical waves for the characterization of interfaces and thin organic films. After a short introduction to the theoretical backgroun d of evanescent wave optics, examples are given that show how this int erfacial ''light'' can be employed to monitor thin coatings at a solid /air or solid/liquid interface. Examples are given for a very sensitiv e thickness determination of samples ranging from self-assembled monol ayers, to multilayer assemblies prepared by the Langmuir/Blodgett/Kuhn technique or by the alternate polyelectrolyte deposition. These are c omplemented by the demonstration of the potential of the technique to also monitor time-dependent processes in a kinetic mode. Here, we put an emphasis on the combination set-up of surface plasmon optics with e lectrochemical techniques, allowing for the online characterization of various surface functionalization strategies, e.g. for (bio-) sensor purposes.